In their first new release with Dorian Sono Luminus and on the heels of their wildly successful box set: Villa Lobos - The Complete String Quartets, Cuarteto Latinoamericano brings their mastery of Latin American music to a disc of pieces that over the years they have been performing as Encores, proving that sometimes you save the best for last!
This album contains almost entirely world premiere recordings (Yiddishbbuk being the exception) with many of the pieces being written especially for this world-renowned quartet. The works range from esoteric to supremely virtuosic, and the pieces pull from traditional themes to completely original ideas. Encores showcases a wide range of styles and features the works of some of the finest modern composers.
Cuarteto Latinoamericano, formed in 1982, is known worldwide as the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. This award-winning ensemble from Mexico consists of the three Bitrán brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón and cellist Alvaro, along with violist Javier Montiel. The Cuarteto has recorded most of the Latin American repertoire for string quartet, and the sixth volume of their Villa-Lobos 17 quartets cycle, recorded for Dorian, was nominated for a GRAMMY® award in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording as well as for a Latin GRAMMY®.
As a group that is constantly touring the globe, the Cuarteto has performed as the soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, the main orchestras in Mexico, the Dallas Symphony, and the Símón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela. They have also toured extensively around the world, including performances in Europe and the Americas, as well as in New Zealand and Israel.
Since 2004, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano has been awarded the “México en Escena” grant, from Mexico’s National Fund for Arts and Culture. Thanks to this support, the Cuarteto has developed an intense educational program in Mexico’s major professional music schools, and also presents a retrospective series of concerts with music for string quartet from virtually all Latin American countries. Additionally, and as part of this grant, the Cuarteto is collaborating with prestigious Mexican filmmakers on a series of video clips, which will feature works for quartet by Latin American composers; as well as a documentary celebrating the quartet’s 25th anniversary.
A must for the lover of modern chamber music, string quartet aficionados, and Latin American music enthusiasts, Encores is a landmark collection of captivating string performances from a phenomenally talented group.
